Recently we learned that The Institute for dissemintation of Danish culture and Information took the trafic accident on Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita up in their monthly blog.

Most Danes havn't heard about this accident which involved a 18 year old Dane who had immigrated to the United States as little boy. One day when he was driving home some Mexican gang members followed his car so they could rob the passengers. The Dane tried to drive away from them but because he hadn't taken his driving education in Denmark where time of race tracks are mandatory, he couldn't handle the high speed as any other driver in Denmark are able to.

He crashed because he hadn't received education which would have provided him with superior driving skills and it resulted in 4 deaths. The Mexican gang members did quickly flee the scene and the police did only see a foreigner so they used this case as deterrant for other foreigners so they would not drive and take away jobs from U.S. citizens.

The poor Dane received a very hard sentence. In Denmark known for its severe sentences regarding trafic related deaths he would properly have got about 4 years, but in fact he got 8 and a order of deportation.

The good news was that he later was able to fight the deportation based on poor advice from his lawyer during the original trial.

It was a case we all learned from. It is not for fun that exchange students are banned from driving. It is one of the three D's (date,drink,drugs). Xenophobia exist in every country, especially during times where the economy is suffering and people tend to give the remaining jobs to countrymen.

I don't care what the families think. I believe that it is a question of justice and he received his sentence due to his ethnical heritage.

I am often out riding with friends. I don't drive personally as it is too expensive for us from the working to take a drivers license. The speed he held was not out of the ordinary considering that he was chased Mexican gangs.

Here in Odense we have youngsters out in Vollsmose reponsible for almost all kind of violence in our town. Often they are armed and will shoot at everyone. You need to drive that fast to escape them if they become angry at you no reason at all which is often the case.

Just sad that some lost their lives but people are killed every on the roads so he should have been fined only.

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Ian Chequer

6/18/2011 02:55:13

Your first sentence shows unbelievable callousness.

Doing a little digging I found out the following about this incident:

- Lellan was driving at close to 100 mph, in a lane reserved for bicycles, when he drove into the back of another car. Subsquently Lellan's Acura entered the opposite highway and collided with a Ford Mustang being driven by a 45 year old man. The impact of the collision was such that pieces of both vehicles were scattered over a 100' radius. (Far from the "simple" car crash stated in one of your links).

- Lellan's lawyer advised him to plead guilty at the original trial, largely because his defence of being pursued and rammed by "Hispanic gang members" was not backed up by other witnesses, or by any physical evidence. He also had traces of marijuana in his system, which would have elevated the charges from vehicular homicide to second degree murder, had he pleaded not guilty. (His two previous speeding convictions would not have helped either).

- Even if he WAS being pursued by another car, it does not give him the right to break the law to escape. (Even police officers are not exempted from the rules of the road).

- the deportation is the only part which sounds a little unfair, but many countries deport foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes (presumably Lellan had dual nationality).

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International culture exchange is a small NGO in Denmark working to protect Danish youth and preserve our unique culture.